U.S.S. Spokane, 1944-1973

 

The U.S.S. Spokane was named for the city of Spokane and was built in New Jersey; she was classed a light cruiser. The Washington cities of Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia also had Navy ships named for them.

Commissioned after the end of World War II, the Spokane never saw any war-related action.  

Spokane departed New York for training and battle practice near Guantanamo Bay. In 1946, she visited several European ports. In 1947, the Spokane represented the U.S. Navy at the wedding of Her Royal Highness, Princess Elizabeth of England. On Christmas Day, 1947, she was boarded by 100 guests and underprivileged English children as the invited guests of the crew for dinner, party, movies and tour of the ship.

Completing her goodwill tour, Spokane joined a group staging bombardment exercises in the Atlantic. She was decommissioned in 1950 and assigned to the mothball fleet of the New York Group, US Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Struck from the Navy's list of vessels in 1972, she was purchased in 1973 for scrap. Her final voyage took her to Brownsville, Texas, to be dismantled. 

Naval tradition mandates that the city in whose honor a ship is named give a silver service to its officers. In 1946, the citizen of Spokane purchased a silver service for the newly constructed USS Spokane. The 135-piece included service for twelve officers. This silver set is on display at the Naval Reserve Training Center by the VA Hospital in Spokane. (Could not find an image of Spokane's silver; this set belonged to the USS Maryland.)

Taken from an article in Vol. 39, No. 3, 1995, of The Pacific Northwesterner.